Wait…what? East??? Yes, we are still planning to go southwest for for the winter, but we had to make a quick detour first. Last week Tim’s boss asked if he could be in the office for an important meeting, and since we were only 5 hours from Charlotte — the closest we have been or will be for a long time — we decided why not (also, you gotta keep the boss happy). Along the way we stopped in Asheville for a few days. We had plans to come here last spring, but ended up spending an extra week at my mom’s house instead, so this seemed like a good opportunity to finally see the town that so many people rave about.
Bear Creek RV Park
We stayed at Bear Creek RV Park so we could be close to town during our short stay. Normally we would have picked the highly rated Lake Powhatan National Forest CG just outside of town, but with only two days and lots of rain in the forecast we chose convenience over nature. It was a pretty typical RV park experience where forty bucks a night gets you full hook-ups and a fantastic view of your neighbors sewer pipe. The site quality here is really mixed with some sites offering views, some with decent separation, and all the roar of the freeway.
Some of the larger sites on the lower tier
It really didn’t matter what the campground looked like though because, once again, it rained for most of our stay. Sunday was the best day and we managed to get out and explore the town in between rain showers. First stop…the Asheville Farmers Market. This year-round indoor market has everything from fresh produce to bulk beans, canned items, cured meats, and even some Asheville sweatshirts adorned with cats (sadly, I have no photo). We skipped over the outerwear and left with a jar of local honey, some apples and a selection of winter squash.
Asheville Farmers Market
Then we headed downtown and walked around for a few hours. Asheville is a good size city for exploring on foot with plenty of fun streets for strolling, but not so many that you get lost or feel like you need a week to see it all. The local art scene here is thriving and we really enjoyed the shops filled with unique crafts from various artists. Since we don’t have the space (or the funds) for any of the great paintings that we loved, I ended up with a tiny terrarium filled with local moss and ferns that fits nicely under the kitchen window in the Airstream.
After several hours we had worked up enough of an appetite to indulge in a late lunch at the famed Tupalo Honey Cafe. Delicious! While we both enjoyed our meals, my favorite was the complimentary fresh biscuits with honey and blackberry jam. I could have skipped lunch and eaten a whole basket of those flaky treats.
Downtown Asheville: biscuits, yarn bombs & local art
A Ginko tree wearing its fall finery
And that’s it. It was only a tiny taste, but more then enough to know we need to come back for a longer visit.
14 comments
Rain was the reason we skipped Asheville. We love it though – very cool little town. Glad you enjoyed it!
Even though it rained most of our time there it was enough to know that we need to make a return visit!
We’re planning on making a road trip from Texas to the east coast and Asheville is one of the places I’ve heard a lot about. Your pictures make me all that more excited about going! We not RVers ourselves, but we will one day. It’s always a lot of fun seeing all the wonderful places y’all get to visit – thanks for the updates!
Asheville is one of those places that everyone recommends. We barely even touched on all the cool stuff there is to do and see there. Have an awesome road trip and thanks for following along :)
Beautiful photos of your Ashville experience. Thank you. Happy travels.
Thanks!
Asheville sounds like a pretty town, we will have to add it to our list of places to visit
Yes, definitely add it to the list. Lots to do and see around here.
That yarn covered iron is hilarious. Someone evidently has far too much time on their hands! Have you seen the crochet/quilt covered trailers? Crazy. Haven’t been to Asheville in way too many years, so it’s on our list. We’re enjoying the mid-fall lack of crowds and gorgeous colors as we make our way across the country, too. But we’re traveling the opposite direction from you! Happy trails….:-)
I can’t imagine how long it must have taken to make that knitted iron cover! I’ve seen pics of the yarn covered trailers, but would love to see one in person. Glad you’re enjoying the fall season. We’re also enjoying the lack of crowds.
There is a fantastic smallish mid size town between Asheville and Charlotte called Hendersonville. Stop by if you can, it has one of my favorite main streets of all time. Wonderful for browsing up/down with lots of handy spots to sit and people watch, nice shops, one of the best bakeries in NC, and a nice local museum. Also some great restaurants for lunch/dinner.
A beautiful area to stay if you can.
Thanks Paula! I’ve put it on the list.
What a sweet little town. Sounds like it’s just the “right size”. The Gingko tree is splendid! Making the boss happy is definitely a good reason to re-route a bit
We sometimes get overwhelmed in big cities and feel like we don’t know how to see it all. A city this size is much easier for us to explore. And yes, keeping the boss happy is a good thing :)